Chapter 18: Chance Encounter

Chapter 18: Chance Encounter

Wang Xuan anticipated a fierce and bloody clash when Jin Chuan and his team appeared in the underground palace. But both parties quickly retreated after their brief encounter. Wang Xuan could sense that there was something going on between the two groups.

During the return journey, a heavy atmosphere hung within the confines of the small aircraft. Kite bore a grievous wound, a gaping hole in his chest, with his upper body drenched in blood. The other teams too had their share of casualties. They departed with their wounded in tow.

Qing Mu's voice broke the silence, "I'll personally see to it that Falcon's family is compensated."

His expression remained concealed behind a mask,, "You’ll get used to it eventually after witnessing all that. Those who survive are adventurers. As for those who don’t... Well, I guess they’re just along for the ride."

Wang Xuan fell silent. The living, breathing human being who was still tough as nails moments ago was now being sent home in a body bag. The expedition was far from the exciting and mysterious adventure he was expecting. Its dark side was beginning to rear its head. It was telling Wang Xuan that there was a fine line between life and death for those who dared take part in something like this. They were, in a sense, selling their lives for money.

The organization, dubbed as the Adventurer’s Guild by Wang Xuan, had internally assessed the risk of the Qingcheng Mountain operation, and deemed it a low risk mission. Qing Mu revealed that some of their exploits would occasionally place them face to face against supernatural phenomena. Such situations were much scarier than their encounter in the underground palace.

Black Tiger was sharpening his alloy blade, Kite had her eyes closed, and Old Mu let out a sigh. Morale was low among the group, and they were reluctant to speak. Clearly, they had experienced this kind of thing more than once. They had witnessed countless deaths during their many expeditions. It was common for team members to come and go in their years of adventuring.

"I'll retire for good in another two years, once I've saved up enough money," Kite suddenly spoke up.

......

The return journey went smoothly. The aircraft landed in an estate on the outskirts of the city, where several cars were prepared to send Black Tiger, Old Mu, and the others away separately.

Qing Mu kept Wang Xuan at the estate for a conversation.

"Keep the five pages of the golden book for yourself. It might be a powerful form of physical technique, but I suspect it is extremely difficult to master. You need to be mentally prepared," Qing Mu advised.

Qing Mu had only glanced at the first page of the golden book and already he felt overwhelmed. It involved resonance of the internal organs, exertion of force, blood exchange, and rejuvenation. He had heard of similar things before.

"A long time ago, there was a master of the Old Arts in the New World who practiced something similar. He ended up killing himself in the process," Qing Mu recounted.

Wang Xuan was left dumbfounded by the revelation. This was the first time he learned that the practice of the Old Arts could lead to death.

"It involves blood exchange and organ regeneration. Though it focuses on revitalizing specific organs, the temptation for even a master is immense. Once mastered, it could undoubtedly extend one's lifespan by several decades," Qing Mu explained.

The fact that even a Master had succumbed to such a practice was alarming. In the modern era, the Old Arts had been considered to be in decline. It was exceedingly rare for a person to reach the level of Master in this field. It was highly unlikely that someone of that caliber could be found in the current era.

"I’m not joking. The New World have plundered the riches of this planet in the early years. Naturally, there were individuals who achieved great success. However, over the past few decades, the Old Arts have been increasingly disregarded, and this 'field' has been left entirely fallow," Qing Mu added.

Qing Mu's words seemed to corroborate the information from the New World, suggesting that they had been researching supernatural phenomena and possibly even the occult for decades.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

"You must be patient with things like this. This isn't something you can master with sheer determination. I experienced discomfort just by trying to practice what I saw on the first page. It felt like someone was tearing my internals apart," Qing Mu's voice trembled.

He turned away, swiftly removing his blue mask to wipe away cold sweat. He was gasping for air. Wang Xuan glanced at his face, and found it to be deathly pale. But he was able to suppress his internal turmoil and handed the golden book back to Wang Xuan. He was reluctant to part with the golden pages, but he was able to exercise restraint through strong self discipline.

"Don't attempt it recklessly. It could easily cost you your life!" Qing Mu cautioned once again. He dared not look at the remaining pages, fearing he might succumb to temptation and put his own life in danger.

Wang Xuan's expression grew grave. For the first time, he realized that practicing physical techniques could be so dangerous. It was even more extreme than cultivating the core techniques.

"The core techniques are the roots of the Old Arts. They enhance your inner constitution, while physical techniques are the trunk and branches that boost your outward strength," Qing Mu explained.

"Sigh, the future doesn't look optimistic. And how do we remedy this situation? By indulging in a feast tonight!"

Sitting in his room, Wang Xuan flipped through the golden book, carefully studying it. Eventually, he couldn't resist the temptation. Following the instructions in the first few pages, he resonated energy within his internal organs and then exerted force according to a specific rhythm.

In an instant, his internal organs felt a bit of discomfort, just as Qingmu had described – this practice was indeed quite challenging.

However, he also harbored some doubts. His condition was not as bad as Qing Mu’s and the pain was somewhat manageable.

"Better be cautious." He didn't take any chances, because this could potentially be a technique left behind by Zhang Daoling, and the significance of that was immense. Taoism had existed for a long time, with ideas such as Huang-Lao’s school of thoughts dating back to ancien times. However, Taoist practices as a distinct tradition emerged relatively later, and it was Zhang Daoling who founded it.

There's no doubt that even if Zhang Daoling were placed in the pre-Qin era, during the golden age of the Old Arts, he would undoubtedly be among the top experts in the realm of Taoist practices.

Glancing at the time, Wang Xuan realized the sun was about to set – it was time to head out.

The surroundings of the Cangding Tower were bustling, surrounded by a mature commercial district with a high volume of pedestrian traffic. Upon his arrival, Wang Xuan headed straight for the elevator, making his way to the top floor.

The highest floor housed three restaurants. Despite the exorbitant prices, they were all thriving. He figured that Qin Cheng must have made a reservation in advance, and if all went as planned, they would be dining at Golden Years, the one he most likely reserved. Qin Cheng had treated his guests here before, and according to him, Golden Years had the most exquisite flavors.

As Wang Xuan proceeded, he suddenly froze. Golden Years was fully booked! Someone... had booked the entire place?

It was undoubtedly the work of someone with abundant wealth. The usual cost of a table here could easily amount to a few month’s worth of an average person’s salary. But someone had booked the entire joint. Wang Xuan peered inside and noticed that some private rooms were left unoccupied. Whoever that booked the restaurant was someone who simply wanted a quiet environment.

"Wang Xuan?!" Suddenly, someone called out to him. It was not a friendly one.

Golden Years was big. A group of women had spotted him from all the way across the main hall and were making their way over. He recognized two of them.

The first was Zhou Mingxuan's daughter, Zhou Ting, who was also the cousin of his ex-girlfriend. She was in a good state. There was no air of fatigue around her. She was dressed in a waisted long dress that accentuated her elegant figure.

The other woman was his former classmate. She was a student from the Old World who had been chosen to travel to the New World. She was someone he did not expect to meet.

The woman in a white evening gown, adorned with crystal accents on her high-heeled shoes, spoke with a disapproving tone. "Which Wang Xuan? Are you talking about Ling Wei’s ex?"

"It's him." Zhou Ting nodded.

These women were dressed more formally, predominantly in evening gowns. Their demeanor and appearance were quite appealing – youthful and radiant, or perhaps sophisticated and elegant.

The one in the white evening gown, with her chin held high, cast a disdainful glance at Wang Xuan, scrutinizing him. "Come on! It's been over a year since you broke up, so why bother showing up here? You’re ruining the mood!"

Wang Xuan frowned when he finally pieced together the situation. However, it was impossible for him to have prior knowledge about the situation here. He was not the one to be blamed. The woman in the white evening gown lifted her chin and looked at him in a highly condescending manner.

Arrogance oozed in her voice, "You’re not welcome here, nor is this the place you should be. Please get out of our sight immediately!"

Wang Xuan wasn't one to tolerate such behavior. Calmly, he retorted, "Since when did my presence become any of your concern? You don’t own the place."

Jimmi's Thoughts

Techniques here might get confusing because author failed to mention MC learning them, but he'd come up with new techniques from time to time.

But this problem only persists for the very beginning of the novel. It gets better as our story progresses.